Thunder drop second game to Sea Dogs

Charged with protecting a one-run lead in the final inning of the Thunder’s second seven-inning game against the Portland Sea Dogs that day, the left-hander surrendered a crushing two-run single to shortstop Deven Marrero.

The Thunder went quietly in the bottom of the frame, losing 4-3.

“It’s hard to swallow sometimes, but I know it’s a learning process for the future,” Lewis said after the game. “You can’t just go out there and throw the ball. You have to pitch. You have to work on hitting your spots, especially in that pressure situation where a dribbler here or there — because you missed your spot — can really hurt.”

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Had Lewis succeeded in securing those three crucial outs, the story of the game would have been Thunder catcher Gary Sanchez. With his squad down 2-1 in the sixth, Sanchez — considered the top prospect in the Yankees organization — launched a two-run home run over the fence in right center and into the dark Trenton night.

Tyler Austin had singled home Mason Williams for the Thunder’s first run earlier in the inning.

The Sea Dogs only damage off Bleich came in the third inning, when shortstop Deven Marrero hit an RBI double, and was then promptly driven home by a single from third baseman Stefan Welch.

The left-hander out of Stanford lasted five innings, giving up the two runs on six hits, striking out four.

Despite giving up three runs in six innings, Portland starter Mike McCarthey was unhittable for stretches of the game. Before Williams’ double starter the Thunder rally, McCarthey had retired 14 consecutive batters.

Lewis pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning before giving up the two runs on two hits and a walk in the deciding seventh.

“I got away from my aggressiveness and wasn’t pounding the strike zone like I was in the first inning,” he said. “A ball hit here, a ball hit there, a walk…it hurt me.”

The Thunder (30-27) also lost the first game of the twin bill 9-4. By losing the second game, they fall 8 ˝ games behind the EL East-leading Sea Dogs.

They’ll look to avoid a sweep in the series finale, which will be played at 1:05 Sunday afternoon.

About the Author

Trentonian sportswriter and utility man. New York Jets, Princeton basketball, Mercer/Bucks county high schools, Trenton Thunder. Tulane grad. Former Times-Picayune and NFL.com intern. Reach the author at nperuffo@trentonian.com
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